How To Remove Internet Explorer 9

“…for some reason should want to uninstall it, you need to know a little trick..“

If you read this series, the odds are good you read other tech-type websites as well, and so you probably know that Microsoft is getting a lot of good press over their latest release of their web browser, Internet Explorer 9 (aka “IE9”).. which is still a “beta”. It’s fast!, seems to be a common laud.

As a matter of fact, I mentioned it last week as a Today’s Free Download pick.. which I will repost here, as it includes a mini-review:

Today’s free download: Internet Explorer 9 (beta)
Reviewed by: Seth Rosenblatt on September 16, 2010

“First Take: After several months of teasing Internet Explorer’s upgrade with a series of feature-free developer’s previews, Microsoft has unleashed on the world an Internet Explorer 9 beta (32-bit Windows 7; 64-bit Windows 7; 32-bit Windows Vista; 64-bit Windows Vista) with some impressive new features. Like any properly named beta, though, there are also some bugs to be ironed out.

This is the biggest overhaul to the browser since Internet Explorer 7 landed. The changes to the interface are enormous, the browser’s overall usability has greatly improved, it’s more secure, and it’s significantly faster and more standards compliant.”

(Click any of those 4 links to read Seth’s full review.)

Even though Microsoft has been releasing remarkably stable and usable “betas” of late, I have not yet tried IE 9. But if you have, or do, and for some reason should want to un-install it, you need to know a little trick..
[update: I am currently evaluating the IE 9 beta. I will “review” it soon.]

To wit: Microsoft considers IE 7, 8, and 9 to be Updates, and not stand-alone programs.

So, when you open Programs and features in your Control Panel, you will not see Internet Explorer 9 listed in your Installed programs list.

Until you click on the “View installed updates” link in the sidebar (on the left), that is.

Once you do, all the installed Hotfixes, and Updates will be added to the list.

Scroll until you locate IE 9, and then right-click on it, and then click on Uninstall.

Uninstalling IE 9 will revert your machine to the last version of IE you had.

So there you go. Internet Explorer is an Update, not a program.

Makes perfect sense, doesn’t it?

In case you’re wondering:
… I was quite eager to try out IE 9 – in spite of my reluctance to fool with betas (or, even 1st releases) until I read about the combined address and tab bar. I typically have at least 5 tabs open, and often as many as 10, so I want a separate tabs bar, to avoid “tab crowding”.
(There. Someone at Microsoft will read that, and make the change.)(Because I put it in bold font.)(And my opinion is that powerful.)(Not. But one could hope. Ha!)

Copyright 2007-2010 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved. post to jaanix.

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